Prospectors panning for gold in higher education can strike it rich at Stanford University. The school is one of the premier educational institutions in the US, boasting respected programs in business, engineering, law, and medicine, among others. The school serves more than 19,700 students and has about 1,000 faculty members. A private institution, Stanford supports its activities through a $17 billion endowment, one of the largest in the US. The university was established in 1885 by Leland Stanford Sr., who made his fortune selling provisions to California gold miners. Leland Sr. and his wife, Jane, founded the school in memory of their son, Leland Jr., who died of typhoid at age 15.